An Evening in The Village at Briarcliff

The Village at Briarcliff: A Secret Gem in the Northland

I had never given the Village at Briarcliff much thought before moving to the Northland. Zona Rosa had all the “Big Box” stores I liked- Old Navy, Gap, Game Stop, Loft: the places I could shop with my kids and get the staple items for them. But one evening, I decided to take a few hours for myself and explore the local shops of Briarcliff.

Made In KC, Briarcliff Village
Made In KC, the Village at Briarcliff

The premise of Briarcliff is great: local artisan boutiques and locally owned restaurants dominate the smaller Plaza-styled shopping area. Located 5 short miles north of Downtown KC, it is a breeze to get to and park. My first stop was Made In KC, a charming little store with all of my old favorite KC makers like Happy Habitat, Socks 101, Sandlot GoodsCharlie Hustle and my new favorite, Nickel & Suede, a hip local line of leather earrings and cuffs that have made this “non-wearing jewelry” girl change her mind and wear it. Everywhere. I also discovered the products of the Messner Family Farm, a local bee-keeping family that uses their own beeswax and beeswax from other hives around KC to make a great tinted lip balm, soap and other natural products. My favorite, the Kansas City Beeswax Lip Tint in Brandy Wine! 

Stroll down the way from Made in KC and you will hit Design in the City KC, a chic and stylish apparel and home store with favorites like Kendra Scott Jewelry, WonderBoy Apparel and Thyme Candles.

The last shop I hit was Finishings For Her, a locally owned and operated boutique specializing in accessorizing your outfits and style. From shoes, bags, jewelry and boot-toppers, this was a fun store to explore to look for the perfect finishing touch.

A Local Happy Hour Spot

trezo
Trezo Mare at The Village of Briarcliff

I was meeting my sister for a happy hour birthday treat at Trezo Mare, so I crossed the parking lot, passed long-time favorite(and former employer) Jose Pepper’s where some sipped margs on the patio, IN DECEMBER! (Crazy KC weather!) I had never been to Trezo Mare before but had heard it was voted best patio in KC so I took a look. The seating on the patio wasn’t open, but what a view! It was 4:40 and the sun had just started to go down and the downtown skyline was beautiful(always one of my favorite views anyways!) Can’t wait to try it out in the summer. Walking into the bar, I noticed what a great homey feel it had. One downfall was the amount of “Reserved” tables there were in the bar- didn’t know you could do that! The smaller tables close to the beautiful fire place were reserved so we picked a higher bar top and looked at the Happy Hour specials (served 3-6 pm.) What a great happy hour! The house wine is $5, Signature cocktails $6 and Boulevard drafts are $3. Domestic drafts are priced at $2.75. There are 12 menu items available, ranging from $3-$8 and all looked delicious. We chose the Fish Tacos and the Chicken Artichoke Dip with chips. Great reviews on the fish tacos and the dip was fantastic- and big enough to serve two of us. Coupled with two Boulevard Wheat pints, we each walked out satisfied and happy, with a bill of under $11 each! Briarcliff Village is decorated with lights for the holiday season and parking is very easy.  On my next visit? Piropos, Nell Hills and Green Acres Market!

Reader Tip: Snag a $25 Gift Card for $12 to Piropos or Treza Mare (or some other tasty #local KC restaurants at OverCities KC! #EatLocal #DrinkLocal #ShopLocal #SupportLocal